Vaccinations

The Practice provides a variety of vaccinations, including:

Who can have the vaccine?
We’ll usually send you a text message if you need to have the vaccination.

You can get the vaccine for free if you’re:
– 65 or over
– from 18 to 64, with an underlying health condition
– pregnant
– a carer
– working in the health and social care sector
– living with someone who is more likely to get infections

There is also a free children’s flu vaccine which is offered to children who are:
– aged 2 to 3 years old
– school aged (from Reception to Year 11)
– at risk because they have long-term health conditions

If you think you, or your child, need the vaccine but are not in one of these groups, please contact us. We may still be able to give you the vaccine.

When to book
Once we have the vaccine in stock, we’ll contact you to book your flu vaccination.
Please make sure we have the right contact details for you.

Find out more on the NHS website
To read more about the vaccine, including who it’s for and why it’s important, see NHS advice about the flu vaccine.
This vaccine protects against serious infections like:
– meningitis
– blood poisoning (septicaemia)

It’s a single injection and protects against 4 strains of the meningococcal bacteria – A, C, W and Y.

When to get it
Children aged 13 to 15 are usually offered the vaccine in school, with the 3-in-1 teenage booster.
If you did not have the vaccine, you can still get it up to the age of 25.
If you’re starting university, you should have the vaccination.

Find out more on the NHS website
Read the MenACWY vaccine overview on the NHS website.
Getting vaccinated while you’re pregnant is effective in protecting your baby from getting whooping cough in the first few weeks of their life.

Whooping cough is a serious infection that causes coughing and choking, making it hard to breathe.

The vaccine also protects against:
– diphtheria
– tetanus
– polio

When to get it
The best time to have the vaccination is from 16 weeks to 32 weeks of your pregnancy.
If you do not have it in this time, you can still have it up until you go into labour.

Getting the vaccination
You may be offered the vaccine at a routine appointment, from around 16 weeks of your pregnancy.
You can have it at the practice, and some antenatal clinics also offer it.
If you’re not offered it around 16 weeks, talk to your midwife or GP and make an appointment.

Find out more on the NHS website
Read the NHS website guide on whooping cough in pregnancy.
Shingles is a common, painful skin disease. It is fatal for around 1 in 1,000 over 70s who develop it.

Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles.

If you’re in your 70s you can get the vaccine. It helps reduce your risk of getting shingles.

You can also have the vaccination even if you have already had shingles.

When to get it
You’re eligible for the shingles vaccine if you are aged 70 to 79.
You can have the shingles vaccination at any time of year.

Getting the vaccination
Once you’re eligible, a GP or practice nurse will offer you the vaccine when you come to the surgery for general reasons.
You can also request an appointment to talk to us about it.

Find out more on the NHS website
Read the NHS website page on the shingles vaccination.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of coughs and colds. It usually gets better by itself, but it can be serious for some babies and older adults.
A vaccine to help protect against RSV is available on the NHS from 1 September 2024.

Who can have the vaccine?
You’ll be able to get the vaccine if:
– you’re aged 75 to 79
– you’re 28 weeks pregnant or more – this will help protect your baby for the first few months after they’re born.

If you’re aged 75 to 79, your GP surgery will contact you about getting vaccinated. Please wait to be contacted.

You can speak to your maternity service or GP surgery about getting your RSV vaccination if you’re 28 weeks pregnant or more.

Find out more on the NHS website
To read more about respiratory syncytial virus, see the NHS website.

Childhood Vaccinations

Starting at 8 weeks old, your child needs to have different vaccines to protect them as they grow up.

When to get them

We’ll contact you when your child is eligible for the vaccinations. This could be a letter, text, phone call or email.

If you think your child has missed any vaccinations, please request an appointment.

Find out more on the NHS website

Read the NHS website guide on when to have vaccinations.

Travel Vaccinations

If you’re planning to travel outside the UK, the surgery can help with travel advice and information about vaccines for travel.

You must request travel advice at least 8 weeks before your departure date.

This is because some vaccines:

  • need to be given in advance to let your body develop immunity
  • involve a number of doses over weeks or months
Cholera
Hepatitis A
Typhoid
Polio 

Contact the surgery using an online form

You can use an online form to find out what vaccinations you need.

We’ll review your answers and contact you to arrange an appointment if you need to be vaccinated.

We will respond within 5 days.

You can also contact the surgery by phone to ask about what vaccinations you need and request your appointment.

Find out more

Check the latest guidance about NHS travel vaccinations.

Mental Health

  • Get support without seeing a GP
    You may get help sooner if you use the services below. You do not need to see a GP first.

Talking Therapies

The NHS Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Talking Therapies service provides free, confidential talking therapies for people who are registered with a GP in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, aged 16 years and over.

Appointments are by phone, video or face-to-face.

Please note that if your self-referral raises concerns about your safety, we will signpost you to a more appropriate service.

Phone: 01208 871 905

St Mary’s Health Centre – Mental Health Support

St Marys Health Centre has a mental health nurse who provides mental health support for patients. Appointments with the mental health nurse can be booked directly with the health centre, you do not need to see a GP first. If you have seen a GP about your mental health, they then might suggest a referral to the mental health nurse which the GP will then do with your consent.

Appointments are available Monday – Friday.

This service is available to anyone from the age of 15 years old upwards.

Please contact reception for further information on this service or to book an appointment.

Non-urgent advice: If you need urgent help:

NHS urgent mental health helplines are for people of all ages. You can:

– get 24-hour advice and support – for you or someone else
– speak to a mental health professional
– get advice on the best way to get help

Find a local NHS urgent mental health helpline

Request an appointment at the surgery

If the services above are not suitable, you can request an appointment at the surgery.

Get a document signed by your GP

You can ask your GP to sign a document for you. This will prove that they are true and accurate.

This includes:

  • private sick notes
  • insurance certificates
  • reports proving you are fit to exercise
  • fitness for travel certificates
  • benefit claims
  • reports for adoption and fostering

How long it takes

It can sometimes take a few weeks to have a GP sign a document for you.

Not all documents need a signature by a GP, for example passport applications. You can ask another person in a position of trust to sign some documents free of charge.

To check if someone else can sign for you, read government advice on certifying document.

We provide this service:

You can send us a digital copy of the document by email.

When you email us, please include:
– the forms or documents you need completing
– why you need them
– who they should be addressed to

We will respond within 5 working days.
If you do not have a digital copy or a good quality photograph of the document, you can bring a physical copy in to the surgery.
You can send us a copy of the document by post.

When you post the documents, please include:
– the forms or documents you need completing
– why you need them
– who they should be addressed to
– your contact details

We will contact you when the documents are ready or if we need more information. In some cases, we may ask you to request an appointment.

Fees

You may have to pay for some types of documents to be signed by a GP, as not all of them are covered by the NHS.

We will let you know if you need to pay in advance.

It’s up to each GP to decide how much they charge. Most GPs use the British Medical Association’s suggested fees.

Bowel cancer screening

About 1 in 20 people will get bowel cancer in their life. It affects men and women.

Screening can help detect bowel cancer early, when it’s easier to treat.

How it works

You use a home test kit to do the screening.

If you’re 60 to 74, you’ll be sent a kit every 2 years. The programme is expanding to eventually include those aged 50-59, so currently 58 year olds, and some 56 year olds, are also eligible for screening.

If you’re 75 or over, you can ask for a kit every 2 years. Call the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60.

If you’re younger than 56 and you’re worried because you have a family history of bowel cancer, speak to your GP.

Call the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60 if you have not been sent a test and you think you need one.

You can read about symptoms of bowel cancer on the NHS website.

If you have symptoms that you are worried about, you can request an appointment at the practice.

Find out more

Read the NHS website guide to bowel cancer screening.

You can also find information about bowel cancer from:

Weight Loss

At the surgery we can:

  • give advice and guidance on how to lose weight
  • weigh you, at intervals that work for you
  • refer you to other services, if you want

Request an appointment

To find out how we can help, contact reception or request an appointment.

Find out more on the NHS website

Read the NHS Better Health’s guide to losing weight.

Muscle and Joint Pain

St Mary’s Hospital – Physiotherapy Service

Physiotherapy offers a comprehensive assessment and outlined management plan to restore movement and function as near to normal as possible if you have been affected by an injury or disability.

The physiotherapist is able to make referrals for x-rays and the MSK Interface service and works closely with GPs, other health professionals and Social Care.

Physiotherapy clinics run twice a week for the NHS at St Mary’s Hospital and involve highly experienced Musculoskeletal Specialist Physiotherapists offering an expert diagnostic MSK Service. To access physiotherapy you can either be referred by a GP or self-refer.

Find out about St Mary’s Hospital – Physiotherapy Service.

Request an appointment at the surgery

If the service above is not suitable, you can request an appointment at the surgery.

Stopping Smoking

Pharmacy Stop Smoking Service

The pharmacy offers a stop smoking service with our qualified smoking cessation advisor who is qualified with the NCSCT and can offer the service in specialised areas including smoking cessation during pregnancy, and smoking cessation in patients with poor mental health and well being.

The smoking cessation service usually involves a 12 week course, where you will be provided with weekly or fortnightly appointments, carbon monoxide monitoring and all the nicotine replacement therapy you need to enable a successful quit.

The quit attempt is tailored to the individual, and is adapted as you move through the process of quitting. Benefits to giving up smoking are seen as quickly as 20 minutes after your last cigarette, so its never too late to quit.

  • All appointments are confidential and take place in the pharmacy consultation room.

Please contact the surgery for more information on this service.

Request an appointment at the surgery

If the service above is not suitable, you can request an appointment at the surgery.

Sexual Health

NHS Sexual Health Services

Sexual health services are free and available to everyone, regardless of sex, age, ethnic origin and sexual orientation.

Depending on where you live, services and advice may be available from:

  • sexual health clinics (which can also be called family planning, genitourinary medicine (GUM) or sexual and reproductive health clinics)
  • some pharmacies
  • young people’s services
Find NHS Sexual Health Services

Request an appointment at the surgery

If the services above are not suitable, you can request an appointment at the surgery.